The
Hamburg Sea Devils were an
American football team that began play in
NFL Europa from
2005 to
2007. They played their home games at
Hamburg's
AOL Arena (also home to the
Bundesliga soccer side
Hamburger SV). They played their first game on April 2, 2005 losing 24-23 to the
Cologne Centurions (who were the newest NFL Europe franchise before the Sea Devils). Also, the Sea Devils' very first ever win came in Week 3 of the 2005 season, with a 31-24 home victory over the then-struggling
Rhein Fire.
Their first head coach was
Jack Bicknell, previously head coach of the defunct
Barcelona Dragons and
Scottish Claymores. The Sea Devils had directly replaced the Claymores after the
2004 season.
On April 1, 2006, the Sea Devils recorded their very first tie in franchise history. At home, they scored 17 points in the second quarter, against the
Berlin Thunder. They had blown their 17-point lead before regulation ended. When no one scored in overtime, the game ended in a draw. This was only the second tie in the NFL Europa history. The previous tie came in the
1992 season between the
Birmingham Fire and the
London Monarchs. The final score for that game was also 17-17.
On March 29, 2007, Bicknell resigned, citing health issues as the reason. He was replaced by
offensive coordinator Vince Martino.
On June 23, 2007, the Sea Devils won their first
World Bowl championship with a 37-28 victory over the defending champion
Frankfurt Galaxy. It was also their last, as
NFL Europa disbanded...
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